Mexico: Michoacan sends over 105,000 tons of agricultural products to Europe and Asia

Francisco Huergo Maurin, the Secretary of Rural Development and Agricultural Food (SEDRUA) of the government of Michoacan, stated that Michoacan's agricultural potential is increasingly more visible in more than 45 countries around the world, thanks to the hard work that producers from Michoacan have performed on health, safety and food traceability, which has allowed the state to export more than 105 thousand tons of agricultural products to Asia and Europe.

Huergo Maurin also said that Mexico had 11 FTAs with 45 countries in the world that had over 1,462 million potential customers for several of the products produced in Michoacan.

The state's main export products for Europe and Asia include melon, grapefruit, blackberry, mango, papaya, strawberry, guava, blueberry, and avocado, among others.

The countries where most products are shipped are Canada, Japan, France, China, Hong Kong, and the Netherlands, to name a few.

The official said that Michoacan exported 45,241 tons to Canada, 31,932 tons to Japan, 19,159 tons to France, and 13,389 tons to China. The United States, which purchases more than 900,000 tons of agricultural products form Michoacan each year, continues to be this state's main market.

The objective of the Government of Michoacan is to open new markets and take advantage of the country's free trade agreements, primarily in Asia, Europe, and Central America. Currently, state producers are negotiating with Spanish businesses interested in acquiring avocado, strawberry, and mango from Michoacan.

He also stated that countries, such as Hong Kong and the Netherlands, which together receive more than 13 thousand tons of agricultural products from Michoacan, were becoming more and more interested in the state's products and were gradually increasing their imports.

Huego Maurin said many of these products were already being shipped with added value, such as processed avocado, frozen strawberry, soursop pulp, among others.